


Bravery Training

by CircuitryDemon



Category: Super Mario Bros. (Video Games)
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Secret Relationship, T because I wanted to curse a little, more tags may be added, well see how it goes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:49:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22482088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CircuitryDemon/pseuds/CircuitryDemon
Summary: When Luigi runs into an unlikely encounter at New Donk City, the last thing he expected was a chance to make friends with his brother’s most hated enemy. What else wasn’t expected was something else entirely to blossom, something he had kept a secret for so very long.
Relationships: Bowser Koopa/Luigi (Nintendo)
Comments: 46
Kudos: 276





	1. Unexpected

Suuuuure,  _ travel the world _ , he said.  _ It'll get your mind off the princess, _ he said. Kamek didn't know what he was talking about, Bowser surmised. He had started to travel around, but there was only so much you could do with a disguise without people thinking the giant koopa in a coat and sunglasses was sketchy as fuck. He ditched it after the first few days.

Now Bowser found himself in New Donk City and absolutely miserable. He trudged over to a park bench, the wood creaking slightly under his weight, and out of the corner of his eye seeing a couple playing frisbee nearby stop immediately and practically run off. Nothing new at this point, if only a bit annoying. Bowser wasn't even gonna hurt them, as long as they didnt get on his nerves, but it was whatever. Even the mayor had given him a shifty look, but when he assured her he would be on his best behavior, he was sure hed probably start getting followed by Mario  _ eventually _ , it would be any moment.

What he wasn't expecting? The other brother to show up. You know, the Green one. 

He watched as Lu… Linguini? Lorenzo? No.. wait.. Luigi, that was it. Bowser watched Luigi stroll into the park, balloons hooked onto his back as he saw a focus he'd never seen in him before. Luigi had gone to one side of the park, lips pursed and a gloved hand resting on his chin as he thought. 

Then, he pulled a balloon off, sparkly and bright blue, and placed it near one of the benches. 

Bowser blinked, but shook the confusion out of his mind. He crossed his arms, shutting his eyes and letting his head droop. Maybe he'd take a small nap. Nobody in this damn city would bother him, that was a guarantee, and whatever Greenie was doing wasn't his business. 

Only it became his business when he heard footsteps in the grass, and he felt a pair of eyes locked onto him. 

"B.. Bowser..?" Luigi's voice broke the silence first, and Bowser huffed, slight smoke puffing out of his nostrils. 

"Who else would it be, green?" He peeked one eye open, seeing Luigi was staring at him with that same nervous expression he always had. When he finally picked his head up the guy flinched. "Keep your overalls on, ain't worth the trouble."

He could almost see Luigi deflate a bit, then take a deep breath. 

"What are you doing here?" 

"Nothing involving you. Scram. You put one of those balloons even near me and I pop it." Bowser all but growled, showing his claws. He watched Luigi back up a bit, lower lip caught between his teeth as he glanced around. Then, Luigi scuttled over to one corner of the park, hooking his balloons into the ground, and then he was on his way back over. He fixed his gloves and stood straight. 

"Can I sit with you?"

You've  _ got _ to be kidding.

"No."

Luigi did it anyway, sitting at the edge of the bench next to him. When the hell did this guy suddenly get courageous? Bowser growled, watching the much smaller of the two flinch and grip the wood of the bench ever so tighter. Luigi took a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking towards Bowser, who looked completely uninterested. 

"You.. you don't seem the type to be relaxing at a park. Of-of all places." 

"You don't seem the type to be brave around giant fire breathing monsters."

Luigi laughed, and it was actually kind of nice.

Wait. What?

"It's easy to do when I know you won't do anything." 

Bowser scoffed. 

"And what makes you think I can't beat you right now? You're a shrimp, nobody is near us. Who's to say I can't out muscle you and come out on top.." Bowser leaned in, blocking any escape by placing a clawed hand to the arm of the bench, huffing smoke into the smaller plumber's face. He watched as Luigi let out a small laugh, shrinking back a bit as his cheeks tinged a slight pink. 

Bowser refused to acknowledge the thought that crossed his mind.

"I haven't put a hand on you, a-and if I'm such a shrimp, it's less of a fight and more or less an attack. I just want to talk." He leaned back on the bench, watching Bowser let go and sit back as well, arms crossed and head turned. 

"When did you get so tough, greenbean.." 

From there, it was a silence. Luigi watched as a small bird landed down, pecking at the grass below but then flying off. The quiet felt like an eternity, even though it was only a few minutes, before Bowser broke the silence.

"Kamek told me taking a trip might help get my mind off things." 

Luigi perked up, looking over at the other, who still had his head turned away.

"Things like…the Pri-"

"Oh don't get so hopeful. This was stupid, I'm getting out of-" Halfway through getting up he felt a gloved hand on his thigh. He looked over, seeing Luigi leaned over and doing just that. Almost as if he realized it, Luigi sat back up, hand snapping up into the air and off the Koopa King. His whole face flushed a cute pink.  _ Wait hold on now... _

  
  


"I didn't mean to bother!" Luigi cried, that bravado he had earlier seeming to be nothing more than a facade. "I-I just mean a lot happened!" 

Bowser rolled his eyes.

"And you care why? Anytime we meet you're just as gung ho for a fight." He narrowed his eyes. 

"I… not exactly.. more of a.. you know.. following Mario thing.. I'm not a good fighter.." Luigi rubbed the back of his neck. Bowser barked out a laugh, seeing Luigi sink into himself. You know what? Kamek wanted his mind off the princess? 

  
  


"You want to get better?" 

Luigi floundered for a moment, looking up at the koopa who was now standing so tall above him. 

"I'm sorry?" 

"I'm asking if you want help not being such a scaredy cat." He had asked, crossing his arms. 

Luigi flushed pink, this was a bad idea. This was  _ Bowser  _ he was talking to! If anyone found out he would be outcasted! The guy caused so much devastation and-!

"If you don't want to, then I'm out of here, green." 

"H-Hold on now! Maybe.. give me a bit to think on it?" Luigi asked, wringing his gloved hands together. Oh this was a bad idea.. "You've got a phone, right?" 

Bowser scoffed, taking out what was almost a tablet for human standards and handing it to Luigi.

"S'unlocked." 

Luigi bit his lip, only to smile a bit when it lit up and was greeted with a photo of Bowser with his son as the background. He glanced up at Bowser for a mere moment with a smile, being met with an almost embarrassed huff, before he ducked his head back down and found the contacts, typing in his information. He even sent himself a no nonsense text to have his number before handing it back. 

"Don’t keep me waiting then, Luigi." Bowser said it oh so casually, turning and heading out of the park. The words made Luigi's heart skip a beat, a slight flush to his cheeks. 

He knew his name…

With that, Luigi shook himself from his surprise, had packed up his things, and left the park, returning to his balloons. Only the memory of his encounter stuck in the back of his mind all day. Should he tell Mario? It  _ was  _ his brother’s sworn enemy. It would be only fair, right? But Luigi had his reasons for talking to Bowser today, even if he wouldn’t even admit it to himself other than just trying to be friendly. When he returned home, he gave his brother a smile, set down his supplies, and had started to prep for dinner, never bringing up the courage to tell his brother about the main event of his day, and when he was asked, he merely said he was placing balloons for the majority of the day for anyone who wanted to play his new game. Nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t like he was lieing, it was just.. you know.. his run in with Bowser never came up in conversation. 

  
  


At around midnight, Bowser’s phone pinged from its place next to him on the couch. The sound had awoken him from his slumber, and he stretched before picking it up, surprised to see it was actually from Luigi. He had almost forgotten their little meeting that afternoon. 

_ [Are you awake still?]  _

**_[I am now.]_ **

Luigi bit his lip, he had paced his room almost enough times to make a hole in the hardwood flooring. Oh no, he had woken him up over nothing. This was a bad idea, he should have waited until tomorrow morning, not when he couldn’t sleep and couldn’t get the events from earlier out of his head no matter how many times he tried to think of other things. His phone buzzed again.

**_[You texted me first, Greenie.]_ **

He scrambled to pick it up, swallowing thickly. Finally, Luigi sat down on his bed among the sheets, taking a deep breath.

_ [Right, right. Sorry. I just wanted to ask you something about today. What we talked about.]  _

**_[All ears.]_ **

_ [This isn’t some trick right? You’re not just being nice to me to get to Peach?] _

There was a long silence. Longer than Luigi would like to have experienced from that question. Of course this was all some trick, how could he be so-

**_[I’m trying to be done with that.]_ **

**_[and I’m not nice.]_ **

Luigi let out the breath of air he didn’t even realize he was holding. That.. wasn’t what he was expecting, if he was honest. 

**_[get left on the moon and stuck by yourself for almost a week is a hell of a reality check. Drop the princess shit.]_ **

Oh…

Luigi bit his lip. Of all things, this wasn’t what he was expecting this to turn into.

_ [Well, I can promise you I’m not trying to pull anything either.] _

Bowser scoffed, getting comfortable in his seat, an eyebrow raising when the next message came in.

_ [Are you busy tomorrow?]  _

**_[you sure you want help? you’re talking like you’re fine.]_ **

Another long pause, and Bowser watched the speech bubble on his phone type, then stop. Then type. Then stop. Then it seemed to go on for a while, until suddenly all he got was. 

_ [Are you free or not.] _

**_[you gonna tell Mario i turned you down if i say no?]_ **

_ [Bowser.] _

This got a laugh out of him, messing with him was a little fun, he’d admit, it was just harmless fun. But even Bowser could tell something was up, something told him in the pit of his gut there was a reason Luigi is suddenly so talkative with him.

**_[highest point in Cascade Kingdom. Right After sunrise. Come alone. Tell anyone I’m helping you and this deal’s off. Got it?]_ **

_ [Loud and clear.] _

**_[Good. You call me nice again i block this number.]_ **

Bowser rubbed his face, groaning slightly. This was a stupid idea. He had nothing to gain if he helped him, hell if this backfired he had even more to lose, but maybe trying to turn a new leaf or whatever would get everyone off his back, right? He blinked when his phone pinged one last time for the night. 

_ [have a good night, Bowser. I’m sorry for keeping you up.]  _

He refused to acknowledge the weird feeling he got in his chest over that, or the fact he felt a lot- no, a  _ little _ warmer in the face just from some nice text sent by Mario’s brother. He put his phone on sleep, turning the TV off and heading to his chambers. He had some preparations to be made, it seemed.


	2. Race Ya

Luigi took a deep breath as he arrived at the cascade kingdom, having woken up to a text of "dress light," changing into more of an athletic outfit, and headed towards the highest landing of the Cascade Kingdom. His nerves were a mess. When he had told Mario where he was going, he was met with confusion. Even more so when he said he was going to work out. It even stung a little when Mario gave him such an encouraging smile and a pat on the back for good luck. But now he was there, slowly coming up to the peak as his head swam. He knew why Bowser told him to come here. It was a less populated kingdom, and even if Bowser didnt say it, he knew most of the residents who  _ did _ live here probably wouldn't recognize him as one of the Brothers. As he made it up the landing his breath hitched, momentarily forgetting it was  _ Bowser _ who was going to be helping him. The Koopa King was sat in the grass, stretching out his leg and glanced out at the open view in front of them. 

"G-Good.. good morning!" Luigi practically shouted on accident, blushing when Bowser jokingly flinched, rubbing his ear. He crossed his legs, relaxing in the grass. 

"Morning." He watched as Luigi came over with a very clearly nervous smile on his face. Just Luigi standing made him face to face with the giant koopa. "Good, you got my text this morning." He grinned, giving Luigi a once over before standing. "You ready for what I have planned?" 

"A-actually, I was kind of hoping I could talk with you-"

Bowser put his hand up. 

"Nope."

Luigi sputtered. 

"No…?" 

"You want to get tougher, right? You want to be able to hold your own?" He crossed his arms, smirking to himself. When Luigi wordlessly nodded the king grinned. "Race to the bottom of the kingdom and back up here. You win? I'll talk."

" _ Sei serio _ ..?" Luigi swallowed thickly, tone almost annoyed. "I-..Fine." He took his hat off to run his hand through his hair before placing it back on. Bowser laughed a little, the two of them finding a spot to start. 

"The landing area at the very bottom is our turnaround, got it?" Bowser looked over at Luigi, snorting a little when he saw the plumber poised and ready to go. "Taking that as a yes."

3...2...1.. GO!

Luigi pushed off with a grunt, running as fast as he could get. Bowser keeping up the pace next to him leaving heavy footsteps to pound in his head. Avoiding giant rocks and leaping over the rivers, barely keeping his breath proper as he ran. He wasn't the most athletic, he wouldn't even be  _ doing _ this if it wasn't part of his plans. The fact that  _ Bowser _ , a giant, slow paced turtle, was somehow keeping up stung more than hed ever admit. He dropped down to the next platform, gasping when Bowser skipped the steps, ending up in front of him. 

"You want to win? Come on, greenie! Touch this tree and then turn back around!" He shouted from behind, Bowser's maw open in a razor sharp smile. Luigi shook himself out of his stupor, hoping down and finally getting to the bottom. He slapped his hand on the giant tree and turned, seeing Bowser was stood up at the path, waiting for him. When they locked eyes he started running again. Luigi narrowed his eyes, picking up the pace and even bumped shoulders with Bowser when he caught up again.

"Dont.. dont you pity me!" He shouted, only to stumble when he felt something catch his ankle, Bowser's laugh ringing in his head. He let out a yell, finally booking it as fast as he could, seeing the flag Bowser had set up as a finish line. His heart thumped in his chest as he finally got to the finish line, seeing Bowser slow down with a huff as he followed behind. His heart still thumping in his chest, he felt something boiling up in him.

What Bowser didn't expect was for Luigi to come at him swinging. He caught one of Luigi's arms with narrowed eyes. 

"What's your problem!?"

"What's my problem-  _ ma che cazzo- _ what is YOUR deal?! I came here because I wanted to talk, you make me run a mile, you pitied me halfway through, and then you tried to trip me!" Luigi snapped back at him, trying to wretch his arm free but he was so  _ tired. _ "Who DOES that??" He looked up at Bowser, teeth grit. The much larger of the two was just staring at him in surprise.

"Are you good?" 

"I am maybe just a little stressed out!" Luigi finally spoke, brows furrowed but at least he stopped yelling at him.. 

"You want me to fly you home?"

"N-no. No, Im… " he took a deep breath. "I'm alright." He let Bowser lead him to a shadier spot on the peak, a large stone that casted a well needed shadow from the sun, the two sitting down in the grass. "Sorry."

Bowser snorted a little, taking Luigi's hat to ruffle his hair a little, letting him take it back from his claws. 

"Maybe starting with athletics wasnt the best idea." Bowser admitted. "You know… there was one thing that was pretty good from it."

Luigi looked over at him, taking a sip of the water he brought with him. 

"Last thing I was expecting was to get yelled at." 

"That wasn't bravery."

"You _yelled_ _and swung_ at a giant monster who clearly knows his way around a fight. Luigi, if that ain't bravery it's at _least_ pretty damn tough. I did it more to see if you'd fight back." He grinned, seeing Luigi's face flush. "But…" he huffed. "You _did_ win. Ask whatever you wanted to ask." He leaned back against the rock, taking a gulp from his own water. Turning to look at him proper, Luigi rested his elbows on his knees, all the hot air basically taken out of him at this point. 

"You.. uh.. you said last night.. about the moon? You really got stuck there?" He bit his lip when Bowser looked away. 

"After  _ he _ stopped my last plan, and Peach kind of took his ship, he didnt speak to me at all. Peach came back the next day, picked him up, and left before I could even come up to them." He muttered, looking at his claws. "My ship was destroyed, took about a week before Kamek got me back to Earth. I'm just glad she was around and took care of Junior." Bowser admitted. " _ But _ without the rabbits, and the fact nobody who visited the moon wanted to be near me, being alone with your own head ain't uh.. good. Would have made more sense back then to attack out of anger when I came back, but it didn't seem worth it." He paused when he felt a gloved hand on his knee.

"I'm glad you didnt. I.. I had no idea that happened." Bowser scoffed at that, shooting him a look, but then it slowly hit him. 

"Nobody told you, did they." He said it so seriously, not angry at Luigi even though he could see Luigi immediately felt guilty. 

"I heard about the Princess leaving you two there.. and how she came back the next day. Nobody mentioned you so I had just assumed.. I-I had gone to the moon for one of my games, if I had just gone sooner-"

"You didn't know." Bowser found his hand finding its place on top of Luigi's with a calm tap, the smaller of the two just staring at their hands. "I can't fault you, and I don't want to hear you beat yourself up over it. S'happened, its done and over. Got it?" He huffed out a smile when he saw Luigi nod. "Good, now your turn." He laughed when he looked up at him in confusion. "I ain't that dense, am I wrong for finding it weird you're suddenly chummy with me? You got somethin' going on." 

Luigi's cheeks flushed, and at first his mouth opened and shut like he was trying to think of how to start. 

"Now.. uh.. I know it isn't the best thing to say to you but.." he sighed. "Even if you're big and intimidating and your biggest enemy is my own blood, I…" he pulled his hand away, wringing his hands together. "I think there's some good in you?" Bowser blinked, not expecting that of all answers. "You.. you wouldn't be here with me if you just wanted to get to anyone above me. Helping me get better is a little counterintuitive, eh?" 

"Well, you're not exactly a gold star either, ya know.." Bower leaned forward a bit, smirking when Luigi sputtered. "You know you could be getting a lot of people angry just being friendly with me, yet here you are. Unless you've got some grand scheme to make  _ me _ a better person, you're just hanging out with the bad guy." 

"I-I.. well…!" Luigi pouted, "I… I suppose you're right.. I don't have any big scheme, I just.." he blushed, something Bowser finally caught. He couldn't be.. "I just think you needed a friend that wasn't some minion that grovelled at your feet."

Oh.

Bowser laughed, leaning back and taking a swig of his water. 

"You're somethin' else, Luigi. I thought you were gonna.." he hesitated for a mere moment, then waved a hand off. "I dunno.. had the thought of you joining my side for a second there." 

"Oh the Princess would kill me!" 

"You talk all the time of not bein important." He leaned forward, flashing pearly whites and placing a gloved hand on Luigi's knee, catching the slight noise the smaller let out when he squeezed it. "You never thought about sneaking over before..? Y'got that whole mask ensemble still, I'm sure.. Nobody would know, and it would just be you and-" He blinked when Luigi scrambled into a stand, his face flushed. 

"I should be heading back." 

Bowser sat up better, knowing that definitely crossed a line and actually felt a small pang of regret deep in his gut. 

"Luigi-"

"No, no, really, Mario would be concerned if I'm out too late." 

He wasn't looking at him. Shit…

"I.. I wasn't serious about all that." 

Luigi swallowed thickly, just turning and heading down the peak. Bowser sighed, because yeah, that was totally how he wanted to end this. He stood, heading back to his copter and heading home. 

When Luigi arrived home, it was still early in the evening. He felt awful, sore as all hell and mentally exhausted. Sure, Luigi, start hanging out with your brother's enemy, no way those old feelings would bubble back up, no way he'd figure it out and mess with you about it, nooooo… Luigi took a deep breath, coming out of the pipe that lead to the cottage he and Mario shared. The sun was just starting to set, hoping to just eat some dinner and forget any of this even happened. If he didn't acknowledge those feelings, nothing happened, right? 

"Mario! I'm home!" Luigi called out as he entered the home. He kicked off his boots, happy to be hit with the smell of food and seeing Polterpup run right up to him. He kneeled down for a moment to pet his dog. 

"Luigi! There you are! I'm in the kitchen!" Mario called out, able to just hear the smile on his face. Luigi put on his best smile like he always did, heading further in. There, he saw Mario standing over a pot, the radio playing quietly. "You hungry? I'm almost done making dinner! How was the work out?" He looked over, a grin on his lips. 

"O-oh! It wasn't bad.. definitely more out of shape than I thought." Luigi rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll be right back, going to change out of these gym clothes." He felt his phone buzz in his pocket but he ignored it. When he got to his room he shut the door, leaning his back against the wood as he took his phone out, seeing Bowser's name on the lock screen.

**_Bowser Koopa_ **

**_[Hey, I wanted to talk to you about..]_ **

Luigi only sighed, switching it to silent and putting his phone in his desk drawer. The last thing he needed was to go back out there and Mario see he wasn't at 100. He took a deep breath, changing into more casual clothing and looking at himself in the mirror. Along the edge was his usual notes to himself. Little hand written sticky notes with messages like  _ 'You've got this! :)' 'Always do your best!' 'Your voice is heard!'  _ He took the stack of notes from his desk and wrote. 

_ 'You're going to be okay' _

He stuck it on the edge, flashing himself a smile and taking a deep breath. 

When he entered the kitchen, Mario was setting down two bowls of soup. They both sat, and at first it was silent as they ate- which did wonders for his nerves, really,- until Mario spoke up. 

"Are you working out tomorrow?"

Luigi hesitated at first. He didn't think Bowser was still going to help him, right? But what if he did..?

"Not.. not that I'm planning to. Why? What do you have planned?" 

"Bro, did you forget? The Star Festival tomorrow night! Peach is coming to see it and she told me she was excited to see you!" Mario was grinning. How could Luigi have forgotten? That big meteor shower that happens every year, people would come from far and wide to see it! 

"...me? I would have thought she wanted to spend time with you more." Luigi blinked. Mario laughed a little at that. 

"She's coming here in the afternoon, we get lunch, and then we head over to the forest to watch." He smiled. "And of course she's excited to see you, she hasn't seen you since her world tour!

Right.. her world tour after she left  _ him _ on the moon for-

"You okay, Lu?" Mario's voice grew concerned when Luigi went quiet. "You don't have to go, I wont push-"

Luigi knocked himself out of his thoughts, blushing in embarrassment. 

"O-Oh sorry!" He smiled sheepishly. "Just a little tired. That sounds great!" He looked down at his half eaten soup, pushing around a carrot. "Hey… weird question, no biggie, but uh.. when that whole escapade happened recently, and you got stuck on the moon for a day.. did anything ever happen to Koopa?" Now it was Mario's turn to look at him weird.

"Why would I talk to him after all that? I'm sure he got home the next day." Mario rolled his eyes, taking a bite of soup. "If not, I'm sure a few days stranded was good for him. He hasn't messed with the princess since, and it's put us all at ease." He chuckled. Luigi bit his lip. "Where's this coming from?" 

"Oh, nothing! I had bumped into a Goomba during my workout and uh.. the fact he hasn't shown his face for a while hit me. Got a little worried, is all." Mario actually laughed a little, then paused when he saw Luigi's face. 

"I...uh.. look, Lu, I know you've got a big heart. But a guy like Bowser? He's the type to take advantage of that. Unless it's some super special case, I doubt he'd ever even try and get better." 

"What if he did..?" 

"Well… I don't know, really.." Mario pursed his lips in thought. Luigi finished his soup finally. "Well, it's not important now. There's a next to none chance, and hopefully if he keeps up this silent act, hopefully neither of us will have to deal with him again." He laughed softly, the two getting up to start clearing the table for the night. "Well, the Princess should be over by five, that gives us enough time to clean up and get ready, right?" He smiled.

That night, Luigi lay awake in bed, glancing out his window while Polterpup slept soundly next to him. He should have said something to Bowser this morning, hell, to Mario about five 

hours ago. He sat up, looking towards his desk. He shouldn't care, Bowser had to be using him, why else would his brother's sworn enemy even want to talk to him? Shit, he could see the light from his phone peek through the cracks in his drawer. He could read them. He didn't even have to message him back! He got up from his bed, shuddering at the cold floor against his feet, but he walked to his desk. With a shaky hand, Luigi opened the drawer and pulled his phone out, nervously unlocking it and gasping when he was met with a few texts and a few missed calls too. He looked around, heading back into bed. Pup peeked an eye open, but relaxed when he saw his master lay back down. 

**_[Are you still up?]_ **

**_[Look, I want to talk and REALLY dont wanna do this through text.]_ **

**_[I'd get if you're ignoring me, but I'd think you'd have the backbone to at least tell me off.]_ **

**_[Shit. Didn't mean it like that, just.. please call me.]_ **

Luigi sighed, knowing the tone of these all too well. The texts seemed more like nervous brain vomit than carefully thought out. He cursed in his head, it was way too late, and it seemed too important to not do in person. 

_ [We'll talk in the morning, and we can figure something out then. Is everything alright?] _

Bowser responded almost immediately. 

**_[Oh everything's fine. Promise. Get some sleep, okay?]_ **

Luigi smiled at that. Maybe… maybe not all is lost. 

_ [I will. You better sleep too. :)] _

**_[Goodnight, Luigi.]_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’re both disasters, let’s just make that clear from the get go


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies its been so long! I blanked out on ideas and then swapped obsessions a few times but i managed to get out a new chapter and i have a bit more ideas to come! enjoy!

That morning, in that little cottage in the woods, Luigi awoke to the sun peeking through his curtains and Polterpup licking his face. He sputtered, laughing softly at the light pressure of his spectral pup on his chest. 

"Alright, alright, I'm awake…" he smiled, sitting up and stretching, reveling in the pops he felt from still sleepy joints. Luigi watched as Pup hopped off the bed, circling the wood floor for a moment before barking and phasing through the door. He shook his head softly, getting up from his bed, fixing the sheets, and heading into the kitchen. Inside, he saw Mario already in the process of feeding Pup. 

"Morning bro!" Mario flashed a smile, watching as Luigi yawned, heading straight for the coffee pot, thankful Mario had already started it. 

"Morning." He smiled, pouring himself a cup. "So what's the plan for today?" 

"Well, I'm thinking heading out to the market and getting some snacks for tonight, then clean so that the place is nice for Peach to stay over tonight afterwards." Mario seemed so excited, it made Luigi smile. He knew Mario had a crush on Peach, it was obvious enough, but he knew he was always too shy to really do anything about it. 

Luigi refused to admit he was the pot calling the kettle black about that. 

An idea hit him. He still had to call Bowser, the market was a place most people didnt bother him at…

"Hey, I don't mind going to the market for you if you want the extra time to clean."

Mario blinked at that. 

"Really..? I don't want to take you away from any of your day plans.."

"I've got none, which is exactly why I should go. You've got a preferred way for the place to look. Also the walk is always a good time to think." He laughed softly. 

"Well, I suppose if you really don't mind.. Thanks, Bro." The smile his brother gave him did make Luigi feel a bit guilty that this store run wasn't as selfless as he made it seem to be. But! He did finally have a chance to privately call Bowser before he wouldn't be able to for the rest of the day. 

With that, he finished breakfast, got dressed, and headed out with a list Mario gave him. When he was out of sight from the cottage he took his phone out, dialing a certain Koopa. 

  
  


Bowser, on the other hand, was still in bed when his phone went off. He groaned, stretching out and answered without looking. 

"What."

"O-Oh, I'm hoping I'm not waking you?"

Bowser scrambled to sit up, face flushed. 

"Greenie! Oh not at all! No no no! I.." he coughed. "It's good to hear from you." 

Luigi laughed softly to himself, shaking his head. 

"Are you busy? I know I said I didn't want to tell you this in text but.." 

"It's better in person?" Luigi bit his lip, his nervous voice betraying his tone. 

"It's nothing bad! Promise! It's actually a pretty good thing!" Bowser realized how sketchy he had made it sound, but it was really something he wanted to see him in person to tell him. "So, uh, are you?"

Luigi sighed, stepping foot into the open air market. 

"Actually, I'm not. If there was a way to see you right this moment I would be trying but.." Luigi sighed, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder as he inspected a tomato from one of the stands. "The Star Fesitval's tonight, so everyone's in prep mode, were having the Princess over to come watch, it's a huge deal." He explained, mouthing a thank you as he paid. The Toad seemed to not even be phased and waved him off with a smile. 

"That's tonight?" 

"Glad to know I'm not the only one who forgot. But yes." He hears rustling on the other end, along with some sturdy footsteps. Then he heard an excited 'Daaaad! You're finally up! Come on, come on!' in the background. 

"Hey, uh, I'm getting pulled away for now. We'll figure something out?" 

Luigi sighed at that. 

"Right, of course. I'll text you when I'm free. Tell Junior I said good morning. Maybe even to go easy on ya." He joked, blushing when he heard him laugh. 

"Will do, Greenie." 

With a click, the two hung up. 

That evening, the princess had arrived, so excited as she hugged the two brothers.

"I really must thank you again." She said as she walked in, toting a medium sized bag on her side. "I always love the Star Festival, so to be able to go with friends will be so fun!" 

Luigi couldn't help but smile. For the past two days he felt guilty having such a secret, but at least when the princess looked at him, it made him feel like maybe if he told them it wouldn't be so bad.. If only the outcome didn't scare him so much. With that, they got to prepping, packing snacks while Peach put away her overnight bag. There would be no point in her driving all the way back to the castle after midnight when they could safely have her stay the night... It was her idea anyway. While Peach was in the other room, Luigi came up to his brother. 

"You're sure you don't mind me hanging around?" 

"Don't mind? Of course I don't. Why would you think I did?" Mario blinked, giving his brother a reassuring smile.

"I just don't want to end up messing up what could be a really nice night and-" 

"Hey. Luigi. You're not going to mess anything up." Mario had put his hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to feel obligated to stick around us tonight, but know if you do, neither of us will be annoyed or anything. You know we love ya, right?" 

"I know, I know.." Luigi rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "...thanks." 

Mario smiled and clapped him on the back. 

"Atta boy. Now come on, we don't want to be late!"

With everything set up, the three of them had headed to the forest's open fields. Among the clearing, lined at its edge, where multiple booths selling food or small trinkets, closer in were multiple areas that were perfect viewing spots, and Peach knew the perfect one every year. As they headed towards it, they had been side tracked multiple times, what with Peach being the princess and her subjects, also in the forest for the meteor shower, wanted to speak to her. When it finally seemed like things were calming down, surprise hit the three once more. 

"So I tell Toad-" 

"Mario." Peach's voice was kurt, and she stopped in her tracks, stopping the brother's story. Her eyes were locked on to a spot closer to the woods. The two brothers followed her stare and froze, but for two very different reasons. 

Leaned against the trunk of a tree, arms crossed and looking borderline uncomfortable, stood the Koopa King himself. 

"What is he doing here…?" Luigi murmured, blushing when he realised he said it out loud when Mario responded. 

"I dunno.. but he can't stay here. Look.." 

There were Toads quickly ushering their children past, nobody wanting to even look at the monster in fear, like if he so much as met eyes they would burn.

"Maybe he's here for the festival." Luigi pointed out. 

"The last festival he attended ended in all of us in space. There's a reason we hold it outside of town. I refuse to believe he's here without a motive." Peach frowned. 

"I'll quickly make him leave, you can-"

"I could get him to leave." Luigi spoke up. 

"You??" Mario looked at him in surprise. "Lu, you're terrified of Bowser, a-and I get we had that talk, but that doesn't mean you HAVE to prove a point.." Mario frowned. 

"Trust me, I have an idea. If I have a problem, I'll call you." Luigi sounded so confident, a tone that took his two companions for a loop. He took a bag of chips out of their snack bag. "Little bit of a bargaining chip. You two go find a good spot, alright?" He had started to walk, only looking back to give them both a smile. 

"Be careful, but… I trust you." Peach smiled, watching as Luigi walked up to the beast. Something caught her eye in the way Bowser reacted. 

When Bowser saw Luigi approaching him, he didn't look angry or annoyed. It was a flustered surprise she'd seen a few times herself. 

"Come on, Mario. Luigi's grown, I'm sure he can handle himself." She said calmly, placing her hand on his shoulder and guiding him away. When they sat down, Mario could tell there was something on her mind. 

"Is everything alright…?"

"O-oh.. I.. yes, i think so." Peach murmured, "Its just… the fact he's here.. he was looking around. Almost as if he was looking for someone. I made eye contact with him and he didn't even react.." Peach jumped a little when Mario laughed.

"Hey, maybe you're finally in the clear. Its been a month. Maybe he has his eye on someone else." He nudged her with his elbow, Peach frowning. She had a hunch.. she only hoped that hunch hadn't just taken a bag of chips with him on his way to Bowser himself. 

  
  


Luigi, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile when he saw Bowser go from annoyed to downright flustered. 

"Look, I ain't looking for some fight." Bowser grumbled, Luigi putting on his best serious face as he motioned for Bowser to leave. They were being watched by multiple toads.

"I've been tasked with escorting you out, K-Koopa. Come on." He narrowed his eyes, "If you want to watch the star festival, I have to keep an eye on you." 

"Gah. Fine. But don't get in my way."

Bowser rolled his eyes, turning around to head back into the forest. When he was out of eyeshot from the clearing and the others, he turned and nodded his head for Luigi to follow. Luigi gladly did, he had a horrible idea, but…

"Here, follow me."

Luigi scrambled to be a little ahead, walking in relative silence until they hit a clearing in the woods. 

A clearing that held a certain little cottage in the middle.

"What are you doing here?" Was the first thing Luigi said, watching Bowser sit on the lawn and lean back. 

"I wanted to talk to you in person, right?" He smiled. "Seemed easier to pull some strings after you mentioned the festival." Bowser rubbed the back of his head. Luigi sighed, sitting down right next to him. 

"You're lucky I was here then. Well, I'm all ears." 

"I…" Bowser sighed, looking up at the starry sky. "I want to apologize for yesterday. I acted like an ass to get a rise out of you and then leaned into the fact I think you're cute and freaked you out. I should have just stuck to helping you instead of-" he jumped when Luigi started to laugh. "What..?" 

"That  _ was  _ flirting?? Well, I mean, i could see it, but-"

"I'm not a flower and songs sort of guy, okay? I'll give you grand gestures but if you're not into that, don't expect roses." He huffed, looking at Luigi and snorting a small puff of smoke.

"I never said I didn't like it." Luigi put his hand on Bowser's. It was like he saw the wheels turning in the turtle's head. "I just didn't realise you weren't just making fun of me." Now it was Bowser's turn to laugh, running a hand through his messy red hair. 

"As someone who has been rejected multiple times, I wouldn't even think of doing that. Even that's pretty bad." He finally held Luigi's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. They both watched the stars, some shooting stars were starting but it was still calm. Luigi rest his head on the Koopa's bicep.

"You think this could work? I mean.. you're.. and I'm just…" Luigi's voice caught in his throat when Bowser wrapped a strong arm around him, leaning his head against Bowser's chest. God, he was so warm and this felt so  _ nice. _

"You're you. I'm not… the best at this. My track record ain't great. But I wouldn't have even dreamed of doing this if you hadn't given a damn about me."

The silence that followed was heavy on their shoulders, the meteor shower had started fully. 

"I'm planning to talk to Peach. Maybe try and make peace with her." 

Luigi sat up, turning to face him. Bowser merely blushed. 

"I… look. I'm moving on and it dont seem good to keep all this bad blood. Getting dirty looks everywhere I go doesn't help. Wouldn't help my case either if you and i-" He blushed when Luigi hugged him, gloves hands barely able to touch from behind Bowser's neck. When Luigi pulled away he placed his hands on the beast's cheeks, a smile so big and wide on his lips. 

"This is wonderful! If there's anything you need me to do to help just ask!" 

Bowser merely blushed, a little stunned. Hed never seen Luigi so excited about anything before. They both paused for a moment, blue eyes taking a quick glance down at the maw of the king before they shot back up to meet his eyes. They leaned in, lips a breath away, so close and yet..

Luigi practically jumped out of his skin with a yell when his phone rang. 

Bowser huffed, but then he smiled, waving his hand. He let Luigi answer, wordlessly just watching. 

  
  


"H-Hello..?"

"Luigi!" Mario's voice chimes on the other end. "The meteors are about to really start! I'm assuming you-know-who got dealt with?" 

Luigi blushed, looking over at the koopa. I mean,  _ technically  _ he was dealt with… he just happened to be sitting in the lap of said man out on the lawn of his house.

"Uh, yea. I’m watching the shower with him, actually." He saw Bowser wring his claws. "Ma- Yes I'll be fine! He didn’t want to fight or anything, just wanted to watch the meteor shower, he's- like I said I'm going to be fine! He said he'd be gone without causing a fuss and I'm handling it." He coughed slightly, seeing Bowser seem to relax. Neither of them needed a fight tonight, be it from enemy nor brother. “I'm gonna be okay, really, you worry too much. Just… call me when you’re on the way back, alright?”

The call ended and Luigi groaned, running a hand through his hair, flopping to rest his head on Bowser's chest and sighing. 

"The man acts like I'm not twenty seven..."

"You  _ really  _ hadn't told him?" Bowser seemed almost surprised at that. He'd expected at the very least Mario knew they'd spent time together. Luigi blushed, looking away for a moment. 

"I mean, it's not like it's going to be easy to just, I dunno, tell him any of this, past or present." He sighed, breath hitching when he felt a large hand on his waist, pointer gently rubbing his back. It was so gentle and warm and… 

It felt so nice..

He shut his eyes for a moment, sighing. 

"You sure you wanna try this? I'm not.."

Strong? Courageous? 

Worth the trouble?

Bowser huffed. 

"I think you need more training, Greenie." 

Luigi blinked, sitting up again to look at him in confusion. 

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit." He smirked. "No more of this self pity shit, ain't good for you and frankly I won't let you." Bowser had poked his chest for emphasis. "You hear me?" 

Luigi's cheeks were bright pink, but he smiled just the same. 

"I… y-yea.. loud n' clear." 

With that, the two laid there, looking up at the stars and watching them shoot across the sky. Luigi found himself with his hand entwined with the king's, his thumb idly running circles in the scales he could reach. They'd see how it worked first, then tell the others, but for now? It was just them, and that was enough to ease the heavy thump of Luigi's heart. Eventually the two had to part ways, Luigi standing and dusting the dirt off his overalls. 

"I'll call you with how the talks with Peach go." Bowser assured, standing up and stretching. 

"Sounds like a plan," Luigi smiled, blushing slightly when a thought hit him. "Before you go?"

Bowser paused, leaning down at Luigi's gesture. He was sure he would have been set ablaze when he felt Luigi lean up and kiss his cheek. There was a nervousness behind those lips, but Bowser couldn't help but smile. 

"Safe trip home, alright? Text me when you get home." He pulled back with a sheepish smile, and it took all of Bowser not to just pull Luigi back in. Bowser nodded, ruffling his hair and standing up straight. 

"Will do, Greenie."


	4. Chapter 4

The two weeks following the Star Festival were the best Luigi had felt in days. Every morning he would head to Cascade, grateful for the lack of people as it let him be near Bowser without any judgement. It wasn't like they were doing anything wrong! They usually spent the morning doing different workouts, or Bowser would help Luigi break out of his shell with different exercises. For the most part it was working, and even a bunch of people had seemed to notice it. 

"Mario!" Luigi called from the doorway of their home. "I'm headed out!" 

"Oh before you go!" Mario came over, smiling. "Usual workout with your Koopa friend?" He asked, seeing Luigi had his bag as usual. Luigi's stomach dropped at the question but he quickly brushed it off, nodding. It was the one thing Luigi was too afraid to admit. He had only told Mario he had made friends with a Koopa during his workout, he just didnt mention it was the KING of all Koopas. Sure, Bowser hadn't attacked for almost a month now, but he had been his enemy for  _ years _ ! 

If only 'hey me and Bowser are seeing each other, and I really like him' was as easy to say out loud than it was in his head…

"Yea, why?" 

"Well, this is kind of a weird question, but could you ask him how Bowser's Kingdom is doing? The silence is starting to get me on edge, if I'm honest." 

"I… I'll ask. Sure." Luigi chewed his lip but he nodded, heading out in a hurry. 

_ Breathe, Lu, 10...9...8… _

He counted in his head, heading into the pipe outside their house. He shut his eyes as he felt his body be transported. He had never told Mario the details about what happened the night of the star festival, a fear that always bubbled up in his gut that in one fell swoop he could lose everything, all for love.. Luigi nearly stumbled out of the pipe when the thought hit him. It wasn't like all these feelings for Bowser were new ones, only now is the lid being loosened on the jar that kept those feelings so hidden away. He shook his head, fixing his mustache as he landed in Cascade. Carefully he headed up the peak to their usual spot, seeing Bowser actually pacing, his tail flicking from side to side as he walked.

"Uh.. Hey?" He spoke up, watching Bowser practically jump out of his shell at his voice, but he calmed. 

"Luigi! Hey! Sorry, just uh, thinking." 

"Yea, I can tell." 

"I have that meeting with Peach today, can't blame me for being nervous." 

Luigi's confused expression softened and he smiled. 

"Well, that is much more important than whatever exercise I could be doing!" Luigi looked around before taking his hand. "Want me to run through your talk? Give some pointers? Anything, I've known Peach for years!" 

Bowser couldn't help the warmth that spread through his chest. Luigi was too good to him.. 

"Y'know, I guess I could take some help.." 

So instead of their usual exercise or training, they sat together in the shade of a tall stone and out of the hot sun. They ran through Bowser's ideas, his plans of negotiation, hell even how he could properly apologize to Peach for all the years. It was.. messy, and not the best, but it had more heart than Luigi ever expected. 

"Tell me how it goes, alright? I'm in your corner with whatever you need after!" Luigi smiled at him as the time of negotiations grew ever closer, giving a thumbs up as he stood, now eye level with the beast. Bowser had to head to the kingdom soon, alone, unfortunately. 

"Wouldn't be fair if I didnt." 

With a kiss to the cheek, Bowser stood, and to the Mushroom Kingdom he went. He sighed as he flew by clown copter, knowing this meeting was going to feel like salt in the wounds, but it had to be done. Bowser was done trying to brute force his way to happiness, knowing despite all this push to make peace, this was also his breakup with the very concept of Peach ever loving him. Even if the feelings were gone and dead behind him, and he had someone on his sidelines for once, it still stung. He landed in an open space, having to be escorted by the two armed Toads that were waiting for him. He was brought to a sitting room, seeing Peach sitting in the large cushioned chair by the window. 

"Ah, good afternoon, Bowser." Peach talked so calmly, but he could see the way her hand shook as she poured two cups of tea. "You're here alone, right?" 

"I did as asked, it's just me." 

"...Good. I'm also alone, even fields, as it were. Come, sit." She motioned to the large chair- one that had no back to it- across from her. "Tea?" 

She watched as Bowser drew closer, the overgrown koopa sitting in the chair and being surprised at how comfortable he was being treated. He carefully took the second cup, taking a sip. 

"So… Your letter you sent was rather surprising to read, I'll admit. Peace between the kingdom of Mushroom and Koopa.. almost feels odd, after all this time.." she laughed, but Bowser could hear the nervousness in her voice. "It almost feels like theres a catch." 

"Honestly? Now uh, Princess, don't take this the wrong way but.. I'm done." 

"Done?" 

Bowser let out a defeated sigh. 

"My last plan had been a total failure, and spending a whole week with just my head on the moon and not sure when- or if- I was going to get back home to my son  _ really  _ put some things into perspective… Chasing after someone who doesnt feel the same isn't worth getting stranded or beat or whatever. Ain't good for anyone involved." He laughed bitterly. 

"You were on the moon for.. oh my.." 

An anger bubbled up inside him. Of course nobody gave a shit what happened to him, why did he expect any less-

"I'm sorry." 

_ What? _

"What?" Bowser blinked. He saw a look on Peach's face that was… hurt? Sad? Definetely not what he expected, that's for sure. 

"I… I can't speak for the Brothers, but I had… I had assumed your advisor had brought you home.. I didn't realise you were stuck… If I had known I would have sent someone or.." 

Bowser downed the tea in one gulp, sick of hearing anything related to that. He was a king, not some creature to feel sorry for. 

"Yea, well, it's in the past now. If we make peace I can assure you you'd never see my mug here unless I'm invited." 

"I.. If you're speaking the truth, then I suppose I'm willing to try to keep things peaceful." Peach took a sip from her tea. "I just.. I have one request." 

"If it makes things go smoothly between us? Sure. What, you want special rules or something, we can set somethin up or-"

"I want you to not go near the Mario brothers, both of them. No visits, or talking, or anything." 

There was a stunned silence on the other side, Peach watching the subtle shift in expressions as Bowser's heart began to race. Both of them..? But he and.. no, if he mentions Luigi that would expose him. Expose them. He already knew Luigi was terrified of losing everyone because of this.. he knew Luigi wasn't ashamed of him, far from it, but everyone else's reactions made him so fearful… 

"If nothing's going on between you and Mario, then it's no chance of violence." Peach explained. She could see Bowser's mind was going a mile a minute, and at first she almost felt bad giving such an ultimatum, but with a sigh Bowser gave his response. 

  
  
  


Luigi never heard back from Bowser that night. 

  
  


It worried him, but he was sure if it had gone belly-up Mario would have told him.. right? 

_ [How did the meeting go?] _

_. _

_. _

_. _

_ [Is everything alright?] _

_. _

_. _

_. _

_. _

_. _

_ [Bowser?] _

_ [Multiple missed calls] _

He had taken to pacing, Polterpup watching him from his perch on Luigi's bed, phone sat on ringer on his desk. Why would he not even respond? He couldn't have-

_ He used you.  _

Luigi shook his head, no.. no he couldn't have! He had to have more faith! Maybe… maybe he was just busy! 

_ At midnight? _

He looked back at the texts.

All read, no response. 

Until his phone buzzed in his very hands, the message almost made him drop it. 

**[Forget it, Green. It's over.]**

Luigi's heart sank, hands shaking. No.. no way.. 

_ He got what he wanted.  _

He tried to call again, going straight to voicemail. Luigi grit his teeth. He couldn't speak, knowing his voice would betray everything. 

_ [Hope whatever you got was worth it.]  _

He wanted to scream, cry, maybe even storm over there, but he took to shutting his phone off and slamming it in the dresser drawer, crawling into bed and curling up. 

Sleep did not embrace the brother until exhaustion took its course. 

The next few days were painful. Luigi was well aware anyone who saw him could see the shift in demeanor. He was quieter than normal, brain off in another castle, he'd even stopped going out on his ""daily workouts."" He couldn't tell Mario what happened, this.. this was never going to work out, and Luigi felt like an idiot for getting his hopes up. The only bright side Luigi had to look forward to was the chance for a little solitude on the weekend; Mario having told his brother he had been invited by Peach to go to Delfino for the weekend. 

"Now that we know Bowser isn't planning anything, Peach and I wanted to spend some time out, are… are you going to be okay? Alone?" 

Mario had asked him over dinner one day, Luigi sputtering when his brother gave him a once over. 

"Wh-why would I not be okay alone?? I'm twenty seven, Mario, I can handle myself." He frowned, swirling his drink for a mere moment before taking a sip. "Go, go, I'll be fine." He gave his best smile. 

When the weekend finally hit, it hit like a truck. Peach had come over for breakfast before their trip, mostly to see how Luigi was doing after what Mario had told her. He'd been better, slowly having accepted the fact his little fling was over, listening to Peach prattle on about current affairs when Bowser came up. 

"It really was shocking, I'll admit." Peach had began. "I mean, you deal with a guy for years out of your life, and then suddenly he's done? It was so weird! But, I suppose I won't second guess the peace." 

Then she had laughed nervously. 

"Luigi, I'm sorry, this must be kind of embarrassing to hear but it's pretty funny." 

Luigi perked up, confusion on his usually tired expression.

"So.. heh.. ever since the Star Festival I had this hunch, y'know.. Bowser stopped attacking me because.. oh geez this is embarrassing, I  _ thought  _ he had a crush on you." She laughed softly, "crazy, right?" 

Luigi let out a chuckle, and while Mario thought it was a true laugh, every emotionally fake noble Peach had ever met trained her and she noticed how forced it sounded. 

"So.. apologies for bringing you both into this,  _ but _ I told Bowser.. that uh.. heh, I'd be willing to work out a peace between us if he didn't interact with either of you. I mean, this is the guy who kidnapped me monthly because he liked me, if he really liked you-" 

"He'd have fought..." Luigi had taken a sip of his coffee, feeling Polterpup rub against his leg and he leaned down to gently pet the spectral pooch. 

"Exactly, he just went with it, I guess the idea of not seeing his enemies was a good enough deal?" Peach glanced at Mario, the smaller brother was smiling, patting Luigi's back.

"That's great! We won't have to hear hide nor tail of that monster!" 

Luigi finished off his cup of coffee, ignoring the heat that dragged its way up his throat and the fire behind his eyes. He just numbly made a noise of affirmation, petting Polterpup for a while. 

"We really should be heading out." Peach finally said, breaking the silence. 

When Luigi gave his goodbyes to the two, he took a deep breath, heading for his room. An anger boiled up in his gut, he wanted to get  _ some  _ form of answer from the source itself. No more of this texting, and he knew Bowser wouldn’t answer his calls, he made it obvious enough. He opened up his closet, shuffling around at the bottom before pulling out a box with a latch on it. Carefully unhooking the latch he saw it, his breath catching as nerves rose in his throat.

An all black outfit, dark grey gloves,with a bandana with his signature green resting on top. Laid carefully on top of all of that sat a pitch black mask. 

He knew he couldn’t just waltz into the Koopa Kingdom.

But Mr. L probably could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of angst for a little but it’ll be worth it! I got a method to my workings ;) litterally just finished this chapter and got right to work on this next one!


	5. Chapter 5

_ The thrum of magic that resonated through his bones 24/7, traveling down dark corridors, and fighting against his family with all his might. Eyes and heart watching as his body moved on it's own. It was a power that stemmed from his own heart, his own energies. It felt.. great. On top of the world even.  _

Luigi shook his head and pushed those memories away. Night had fallen, knowing he could probably sneak into the city undetected by the dark. He stood in his bedroom alone- he'd somehow been able to convince Daisy to watch Polterpup for the night- and was standing at his mirror fully decked out in the old uniform. Well,  _ most _ of the old uniform. 

It felt weird looking at himself in the mirror, with his hat disregarded and that pitch black mask in his gloved hand. He fixed his bandana, taking a deep breath. He wouldn't have to worry about brainwashing or that surge of power like he did years ago, but with the memories brought a tinge of fear. Ironic, really, all things considered. With a deep breath he shut his eyes, dipping his head down to bring the cloth to his face and tie it behind his head. When he opened them, he swallowed thickly.

Oh this felt weirder than he expected. 

But! He couldn't stop now. Luigi was determined to get an answer at this point.

Flashing a smile at himself he clapped his hands together, almost feeling a placebo effect just from looking at himself in the mirror. He glanced at one of his notes. 

_ 'Nothing can stop you! :)' _

That's right! No room for cold feet now! 

He gathered up his things; phone, keys, wallet, knowing he'd probably have to spend the night in some hotel in the kingdom after he settled the Bowser situation, and out the door he went.

Sneaking through the Toadstool Kingdom at night was easy enough, sticking to the shadows and backstreets of the main town, his biggest hurdle was the Castle. There was a pipe that led to the outskirts of Bowser's kingdom; he knew Mario had used it multiple times, but had been more or less abandoned ever since the last adventure. He snuck past guards as he ran down the halls, feeling an almost adrenaline flow through him at the prospect of being caught. 

Luigi found himself smiling. 

Finding a heavy metal door he glanced around before sneaking inside. Footsteps echoed as he descended the stairs, being met with a room empty other than a single black pipe. Luigi's hands shook, he was really doing this. He was going to go to the Koopa Kingdom  _ by himself _ just to talk to-

"Hey! Who goes there!" 

**_Merda_ ** .

Luigi glanced behind himself. 

Two armed Toads were headed his way, aiming their spears right at him. Of course they didn't recognize him, eyes narrowed at the intruder. 

"Halt! What are you doing in the Castle?" One barked, the two closing in on Luigi. He backed up, pipe hitting the back of his thighs as he stood with his hands up. 

"Just…" he coughed, dropping his voice down a bit. They had no idea who he was but it didn't hurt to be safe. A smirk graced his lips. 

"Just passing through." 

With a swift motion he let himself fall backwards, with a  _ whoosh _ and the sound of shouting from the guards, he felt his body be rushed through the pipe. 

He laughed the whole way through. 

Luigi wasn't sure why, but he expected to be in pure darkness on the other side. It was the evening, by this time in the Toadstool Kingdom everyone was asleep and the town was quiet. Here? He could see lights in the distance of a town, flashing neons and the deep thrum of music in the distance. Luigi took a deep breath. Here, he wasn't Luigi. He was Mr.L, the Green Thunder, if he was forgettable in the Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi had to be nothing but a cryptid in Bowser's. 

The city itself was bustling; a night market sprung up in the busy city that sat as entrance to Bowser Castle. He had easily blended into the crowd. Sure, it was weird for a human to be here, but people didn't talk to him and he didn't give the same courtesy. He saw so many different booths; some blasting music, other selling items most likely smuggled in from other kingdoms, some weapons, food, things he expected from this city. 

"You! Tall, dark, and human!" 

Luigi tensed as a vendor had called him over, better judgement relapsing as he looked over, seeing a koopa with an extravagant looking pink bow on her head perched over the table. He tried to wave away the staring turtle, but she narrowed her eyes and waved him over again.

"C-Can I help you..?" 

"What's a human doing here?" She pursed her lips, frowning. "You ain't bringing that red one here, right? We've all got our permits, nobody needs a thrashing. Well, maybe some, but not for selling here!" 

Luigi swallowed hard. 

"N-No, I'm here on my own. I'm trying to get into the Castle, I have to speak to Bow-" 

"You want into the Castle?? You??" The Koopa laughed, fangs showing in her mouth. "Yea, I can get you into the castle. Me and my friends here know some back ways in." 

Luigi's stomach dropped, turning around and seeing two koopas he definitely recognized. 

Boom Boom and Bam Bam. 

_ Great. _

"Follow me, uh.." She looked him up and down, crossing her arms. 

"M-Mr. L." 

"...weird."

"Expecting someone else?" Luigi frowned, looking around. 

"Sorta. Whatever, come on." 

Luigi was ushered into the booth, following out the other side and into the quieter alleys. By now he couldn't say no, but it wasn't like he couldn't hold his own in a fight, with the smaller Koopa in front and the two twins behind him, all he could do was follow. 

"So what business a human got with the King? Heard he swore off humans last week."

Luigi jumped at the tone, but kept his chin up. They had stopped, far away from the night market but still a ways from the Castle.

"Nothing you need to know, personal stuff. Boring ol personal stuff." 

"Well, when  _ Dad  _ tells me to keep any humans out of the castle, I listen. I ain't letting anybody else hurt him." 

_ Dad? _

The smaller Koopa had turned with a smirk, cracking her knuckles. 

_ Oh. Oh of  _ **_course_ ** _ he'd run into a Koopaling. Why would anything go right for him? _

Before he could even raise a hand he felt a swift hit to the back of his head, eyes rolling back as he slumped to the ground, vision going swimming in the pure dark.

.

.

.

.

When Luigi awoke, his head was pounding. He tried to stand but found his arms chained behind his back, hooked onto the wall behind him. He was sat on the ground, eyes blinking to chase away the grogginess. There was a large guard at the cell, and every once and a while he had glanced at him, blinking when he saw Luigi was awake. He had opened his mouth, most likely to insult the human, but it shut with a  _ clack _ when the sound of a heavy door being pushed open sounded, and the guard went stiff with a salute. 

"Your highness!" The guard barked, and Luigi's stomach dropped. Sure, he had snuck into the kingdom to talk to Bowser but now that he was finally at that point, all that bravado Mr. L gave him had gotten up and ran. "Apologies on the late night alert, but-"

"You're relieved." Bowser's voice growled out, Luigi watching as he finally came into view. He had met eyes with him for a moment, surprise hitting for a split second but then it was back to his angered expression.

"But sir-" 

"Let me handle it? Go." Bowser huffed, less of a command and more of a tired order, watching the guard hand him the ring of keys and stumble over his own feet as he left the two of them alone. A heavy silence filled the room, the only sound being Bowser sifting through the ring of keys before unlocking it. There was a slight fumble to his movements, the king forcing away a yawn that had started. He must have been woken up over this. Luigi watched him come into the now unlocked cell, kneeling down and gently unlocking the chains. When the cuffs were off, he eased Luigi's hands back to the front, gently rubbing at his wrists. 

"Bowser, I-"

"What are you doing here.." Again with that tired tone, he had reached up to caress Luigi's cheek only to pause when the human pushed his hand away. 

"I took a wrong turn, I have to get home." 

"It's almost three in the morning, the roads aren't safe." Bowser frowned, brows furrowed. "Please, I can-" 

"You suddenly care again?" Luigi didn't intend to bring such venom to his tone, regret immediately followed it when he saw Bowser's surprise. Bowser gave a huff, standing. 

"You came here-!" His tone was harsh at first but the king paused to calm himself. "...When Wendy told me she stopped a human from sneaking in I was expecting your brother. So imagine my surprise when I instead see L." 

Luigi wasn't looking at him, pushing himself up and fixing his gloves. Anything to not put his focus on the only other thing in the room. 

"I can explain.." Bowser had begun, blinking when Luigi narrowed his eyes. 

"You better start, Koopa." 

Captive Mr.L was worse than a captive Peach. He hadn't even kidnapped Luigi for this! Fun.

"You want to talk? At three in the morning? Fine. Follow me then,  _ L _ ." He had turned, skulking out of the cell. Luigi frowned, but did so anyway. Out of the grungy cell block and up the stairs, Luigi followed Bowser out into the hallway, lit sconces line the grey brick walls as Bowser trudged through, landing on a large door. He opened it, giving Luigi enough time to follow him inside. It wasn't anything extraordinary, just a darkly lit and simple sitting room. Bowser had walked over to the fireplace, letting out a puff of flames as it lit up the room. Then, he finally turned to Luigi. 

"What did she tell you." 

Luigi tensed at first, then it settled in the pit of his stomach. 

"Did you ever actually care? Or was it just some plan to get close to Peach." 

"I did-.. I do care." Bowser crossed his arms. 

"You didn't even try to talk her out of that order." Luigi tried so hard to keep his tone sharp, " _ Oh good for me! I get the brothers off my back and I get to drop the mushy boyfriend act with tall green what's his name! _ " He mocked, his voice dropping downwards before coming back up. Seemed Mr. L hadn't run off, feeling a surge of adrenaline run through his aching veins. "You were so in love with Peach you  _ kidnapped  _ her for years! But oh no, I'm not actually on your radar! I… I really like you, Bowser, and you made it seem like it was mutual! But all you did was agree with her and then drop me like I never mattered!" He had started to walk forward, finally jabbing his finger against Bowser's chest. "Whatever plan you want to hatch now that her guard is down, I wont-" 

Bowser had grabbed his wrist, not hard enough to hurt but enough to catch him off guard and whatever words he had to say died off in his throat. 

"I was scared, alright?!" 

Luigi's eyes widened at the words, trying to read Bowser's face for  _ any _ form of insincerity, disingenuousness,  _ anything _ , but he looked.. 

Nervous.

Oh… oh he was serious.

"I'm not  _ good _ with affection and I'm  _ awful  _ when it comes to love. Those people in the mushroom kingdom are your  _ family.  _ You were too afraid that they'd drop you to say anything to them and if I caused a giant mess then  _ we _ would have gotten caught! I-I didn't want to hurt you.. so I thought… If you hated me.." 

"I could let you go easier.." 

Luigi murmured the words, throat tight and wrist still being held in that now softer grip.

"I don't want you to let go." 

"I don't either." 

Within a breath they leaned forward, lips catching lips as Bowser's hands gently moved from Luigi's wrist to around his waist. They held each other close, Luigi's eyes slipping closed as his arms wrapped around Bowser's neck. It felt like it lasted forever, a warmth rising up his body. 

When the kiss ended, Bowser rested his forehead against Luigi's, the two unable to stop smiling. It was quiet at first, both mental and physical exhaustion finally hitting the two. 

"Please tell me you're staying the night."

A soft laugh rumbled through Luigi, tears pricking at his eyes.

"I thought you'd never ask."

  
  


The next morning Luigi awoke to the sun beaming in through the window, feeling an arm around his waist and the slight sound of snoring rumbling through the quiet of the room. He couldn't help but smile, relaxing back into the warm chest behind him. Without waking up Bowser, Luigi had begun to look around. A slightly messy room for a king, with grey stone walls and rather large and fancy looking furniture. There were some family photos, some of just Junior and others of the whole Koopaling squad. He eventually felt movement behind him, carefully turning to meet Bowser. His eyes slowly opened with a flicker, grumbling at first but then he paused when he saw Luigi next to him, in one of his shirts that looked huge on him even with the tie to make it smaller, like he had almost forgotten what had happened yesterday night. How long had he been up?

"G'mornin.." he mumbled, blush on his scaled cheeks. "Been up for long?" 

"Not too long, didn't want to wake you up. I  _ was  _ the intruder last night.." 

Bowser kissed his forehead. 

"Little bit." He smirked when he heard Luigi laugh and sit up, stretching. 

"Sorry if I snored." He turned so he was facing Bowser, sitting cross legged. That shirt pooled at his legs, way too huge and from some old castle wide baseball game Junior had set up. Bowser merely laughed. 

"You? You probably slept next to a car engine." He tapped his own muzzle. 

"You're a cuddler though, I could deal with it." 

" _ Please  _ don't let it get out that the great King Bowser is a cuddler.." he huffed, but he was smiling. "You thinking of running back home soon?" 

"Well.. Mario won't be back home until late tonight…" Luigi faked thinking, but he had a slight grin to his lips. "I  _ suppose _ I can stay for a while."

That 'a while' had started as Luigi just staying for breakfast, which was already an odd experience eating breakfast with eight people he had fought before. But most of the koopalings didn't seem to mind him? It almost felt weird to be insulted that his boyfriend's kids didn't hate him outright, especially considering their history. But breakfast was pretty calm, some were chattier than others, but all in all, it was.. nice. 

After breakfast though, Bowser had insisted Luigi see the sights with him. 

"Are you sure? I mean, I  _ am _ still a Brother.." Luigi had begun.

"This is where you luck out." Bowser chuckled. "If you want, we can stay in less populated areas, and you  _ do _ still have that disguise." Just mentioning that old uniform made Luigi's cheeks flush, bringing up memories of the night before. 

"I-I mean.. the last thing I need is everyone finding out though a newspaper or something that I was here." He joked, Bowser's smile widening at seeing Luigi actually talking so calmly. "Wanna say stuff on my terms." He murmured, letting out a peep when Bowser ruffled his hair. 

"No shouting from the rooftops yet, I got it."

The afternoon passed calmly after that. They had spent the day together, Bowser had actually taken him to the quieter, more local parts of the kingdom, and sure some people had looked, but they weren't disrespectful of it. Luigi was so used to seeing Peach get swarmed by her subjects, so to see Bowser be able to walk through town with him with next to no distraction was really nice. It brought some fuzzier thoughts to his head, thoughts he refused to acknowledge at this point. He hadn't even told Mario yet, no need to get ahead of himself. All he knew is he wanted to spend more time with him, not all these high stakes and potential outbursts. Luigi would much rather have had a few hours of calm than days worrying over small problems. 

The worrying wasn't over yet, it seemed. 

It was slowly becoming the evening, the sun starting to drop down below the horizon of the city when Luigi realized he'd have to beat Mario home. It had been a simple text from his brother and he was out the door. Bowser had brought him to the outskirts of the city, Luigi sat on the edge of the pipe to the castle- which was going to be a whole other challenge but he'd cross that bridge when he got there. 

"Be safe out there, okay?" Bowser murmured, watching Luigi fix his mask. It would be a mad dash back home once he got to the castle, much earlier than last time too. Much easier to get caught. Luigi smiled at him, nodding. Carefully he leaned up, connecting their lips one final time. 

"I'll tell everyone you said hi." 

"Funny." He snorted. There was silence for a moment. "... love you." 

Luigi's face flushed, a smile he couldn't force away, he  _ really  _ had to be going but he kissed him again, bumping their foreheads for a second. 

"Love you too!!" With a final shout he hopped into the pipe, leaving behind a very flustered but chipper turtle. 

He had popped back out in that small room of the castle, hop stepping for a moment and fixing his mask in place before he took off, running up the stairs. He knew there was a warp pipe directly home but he didn't know the location, he just had to make it past the corridors and out the back entrance and it would be a straight shot-

"Luigi…? Is that you?" 

The brother in question froze in horror, hearing Peach's voice from behind him. He slowed to a halt, not turning his head at first, even if it was obvious to her at least what the getup was. 

"Or are you calling yourself Mr. L again.."

Swallowing thickly he turned, the dim lighting and dusk pouring in from the large hallway windows almost casting an eerie shadow onto Peach. 

"Princess I-I… I can explain." 

"You went to go see… Him, didn't you.." 

"I.." Luigi sighed, but he nodded. "Please don't punish him for something I did. I just needed answers and- 

"I stalled Mario."

"What..?" 

"I got a call in the middle of the night that a 'masked human in black and green' snuck in and used the warp pipe to Bowser's kingdom." Peach gently crossed her hands by her stomach. "There's not many humans in the kingdom, let alone ones that know of that pipe.."

Luigi swallowed thickly. So no hiding things from her, huh. 

"I wasn't expecting to see.. this.. again, I'll admit.. but I'm not stupid." Her expression softened, smiling at him. "I know you aren't either. You should have enough time to get home from the pipe in the garden, behind the fountain. Can you tell.. you know.. that I'm sorry? Next time you talk to him?" 

Luigi smiled back. 

"Y-yea, no problemo, Princess.." 

With that, Luigi bowed, turned, and took off for the castle garden.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOD I am so sorry for this chapter taking so long to get out, from the mix of personal stuff and my brain latching onto other ships BUT now this one is done, and I almost had this be the last chapter but I realized this one’s already pretty lengthy, so I split the finale to another chapter (one I’m about halfway through with!)
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy!

In the heart of the capital city lay a tall building, an apartment complex with multiple floors and an especially important guest inside. Luigi was in a particularly good mood that morning, having headed there in relative peace and hummed for the entire elevator ride up. He entered the top floor, at an entrance to a loft. At first he knocked, fixing his hat as he waited before he heard a woman's voice call.

"Door's open, Beanpole!"

Luigi sighed at the nickname but he let himself in, carefully shutting the door behind him. The smell of breakfast still hung in the air as he was almost tackled by a very much spectral canine, shivering as a chill ran through him when his dog jumped through him. 

"Good to see you too, pup." Luigi kneeled down, laughing as his cheek was licked. He looked up, seeing Daisy in the doorway to the living room, still in her pajamas. 

"Lookie here, it's the ghostbuster finally here to pick his dog up." She joked, holding a cup of coffee. "Still hot, you want a cup?" 

Luigi stood finally, brushing off his overalls but he nodded all the same. 

"If you're offering, sure." 

He followed into the kitchen, watching as she took out a mug with some flowery design on it, sitting down and letting Polterpup hop into his lap. 

"Sooooo, Mr Casanova. How'd your little date go?" Daisy joked, turning just in time to see Luigi jump, his face flushing a bright red. 

"Now come on, who's to say I-I went out on a date?" Luigi all but sputtered, a nervous smile coming to his face. 

Daisy set down the now full mug, leaning on her fridge as she played theatrics. 

" _ Oh Daisy!"  _ She cried, putting on a poor attempt at Luigi's accent. " _ Please watch my pup for the night! I'm going to see someone in another kingdom, don't think ill be home for him! _ " She let her voice get back to normal. "Yea and then I'll make it a weekend thing without even saying who I'm with. C'mon man, me and Polter had a bet going on where you went. _ "  _ She snorted, seeing Luigi somehow get even redder. "Bingo."

"Okay okay! Fine! I went to go see somebody! B-but it didn't start out like that!" Luigi sighed, watching her bring over some fancy flavored creamer for him before she settled in her own seat, taking a sip from her mug. "I just had to go settle things with him." Daisy smirked, crossing her arms.

"Oh I'm sure you did…” 

"Shush." Luigi rolled his eyes, aware of the silence that hung over the two friends. That is, until Daisy broke it. 

"So who is it?" She had to stifle a laugh when Luigi almost choked on his coffee. 

"When did I ever say it was a date?" 

"You just did." She smirked, Luigi desperately trying to find some form of rebuttal but finding none. "Come on, who's the lucky lad?" 

"Daisy.." Luigi huffed. This wasn't going to end until she got her answer, knowing how stubborn she was in cases like this. "It's more complicated than you think."

"What, is it that bean guy? I mean you guys did have a whole thing."

"It's not Peasley. Really can you just ignore it?"

"Not a chance, Beanpole. You went on a  _ date _ , I haven't seen you put yourself out there in years!" Daisy smiled at him. "Come ooonnn, work with me here!" 

Luigi slumped into his chair, cheeks dusted red. Out of all people, Daisy might actually be a good first person to tell… He mulled the thought over in his head. 

"You know him." Luigi started. "He's… stubborn.. and a hot head. But he's got a good head on his shoulders.." He ran his thumb along the handle of the mug, looking into the swirling beige of the coffee. "We used to be on some bad terms.. all of us. But I've reconciled, h-he's trying to be better, told me he wants to fix things with everyone eventually..." 

Daisy snorted at first, leaning against the kitchen table. 

"C'mon Luigi, you're making it sound like you went on a date with Bowser or something." Luigi's silence spoke volumes. Daisy stood up out of her chair. "Holy shit you went on a date with Bowser!"

Luigi watched her for a moment, red in the face as he followed her slight pacing, a shocked smile on her face. 

"Dude!! Him?? Like I knew you had a certain type but I didn't think-"

"Can you take this seriously?!" 

Daisy paused, embarrassment on her face. 

"Right, right, this.. I'm just kinda in shock? I've just always remembered you'd get really nervous when you encountered him and I just…" sitting back down, this time next to him at the table, she patted his shoulder. "Okay, I'm here, I'm serious. Tell me what's up." 

Luigi looked at her, and with a weak smile on his face he sighed. With that, he did his best to give an abridged version. Meeting in New Donk, the secret meetings, it easily was a while. 

"I heard Peach had finalized all the peace treaty stuff, right…" Daisy murmured. "I just still am surprised, you went to him first? I always thought you were afraid of him, like obviously if you're out with your bro that's one thing but.." A slight chuckle escaped her. Luigi laughed with her, the previous anxious air had passed and now it was back to their usual morning chatter. 

"I was never afraid of him…" Luigi finally admitted. He was a skittish guy with pretty valid fears, he would easily admit. High heights? Yea. The dark? Yup. Ghosts? Without a doubt. But for some reason after the first encounter the giant scaley fire breathing dragon didn't scare him.. Finding out the big monster that kept coming after his friend was doing it out of love fascinated him. Luigi was a protector by nature, sure, but no matter how many times they fought Bowser, he had always come back. If anything, he was sure Bowser could be better, put that determination towards something else, the man was a respected leader and had seven kids, he had to be doing  _ something _ right.. The more he thought about him, getting to know him better, stop all the fighting, the more this little fire settled in his chest, the more Luigi had felt an… attraction. He knew it would never work out, not after how many fights, but when New Donk happened… it had all come rushing back to him. 

"Hey…" Daisy finally spoke up, breaking Luigi from his thoughts. "Are.. are you happy?" 

He laughed a little, fonding looking into his now empty mug, a smile on his lips.

"Happiest I've been in a long while." 

"If he hurts you, I'm kicking his ass." 

Luigi laughed at that. 

"Kinda had a hunch."

  
  
  


From there the day went on as normal. Luigi had stayed for a little longer before heading home with Polterpup. He knew he had to tell Mario, paced his room just thinking about it. Peach assured him she wouldn't tell anyone, but he knew he had to find out eventually, and he'd rather it be from him and not some newspaper. He glanced at himself in the mirror, taking a deep breath. Finally, Luigi had turned and headed out to their living room. 

At the kitchen sat his brother, looking through the mail like any other day. Mario was always so kind and supportive but this… this was a whole different breed. It's not like he could just walk up and say  _ 'Hey, Bro! I just want you to know I've been dating your mortal enemy for weeks now! Funny story!'  _ No fucking way would that fly. He had to ease him in or something-

"Hey! Bro!" Mario had called him over, a pretty pink letter in his hand. "Got some fun news!" 

Any confidence to say it deflated from Luigi the moment he saw how happy his brother was. He came over, blinking when Mario handed him the letter. 

_ Dear Brothers Mario and Luigi, _

_ You have been cordially invited to a celebration of the end of hostilities between the Mushroom and Koopa kingdoms…. _

Luigi raised his eyebrows. Right, Daisy  _ had  _ said everything got finalized, it's only normal that they would have wanted to celebrate the occasion. Peach was hosting a ball next week, and while Luigi was happy to see peace was guaranteed, there was one problem. 

  
  
  
  


"You two are going to be in the same room!" Luigi groaned, illuminated in dim light as he sat on the porch that night, phone to his ear as he spoke to Bowser. 

"I know, I couldn't just tell her not to invite the two of you. You know I can act pretty well, we can figure this out." Bowser sighed from his spot in his study, having been pacing the whole time he'd been on the phone. There was a long silence on the other end, which didn't help the already concerned koopa. 

"I… I think we can work with this.. if you're willing?"

Bowser's breath hitched for a second. 

"You mean.." 

"Y-yea.." 

There was a laugh, nervous and breathy but a laugh all the same.

"I'm all ears then, Greenie."

  
  
  
  
  


That was how Luigi found himself now, stood in the foyer of Peach's castle in a dark green suit, feeling wildly underdressed and his nerves on fire. Mario was in the middle of some idle chatter with a toad, dressed equally as fancy. Luigi took a deep breath, checking his phone one more time. 

**[I'm just talking with Peach, see you there soon, babe]**

That text from Bowser was a few minutes ago, and initially his heart skipped a beat at the little nickname, that was a new one. He read it over again, feeling a comfort that he so sorely needed. He had already told Daisy he was planning on finally letting it all be known, and hoped either her or Bowser relayed the message to Peach. All that was left was-

"Come on, bro, you alright?"

Luigi jumped a little at Mario's voice, seeing the Toad he had been talking to was gone. 

"O-oh, yea Bro I'm all good! I uh.." he took a deep breath. "I have to tell you something, it's mighty important." 

Mario blinked but he nodded. 

"I-I'm seeing someone." It came out quicker than he liked but it was finally said all the same. "T-the friend from Cascade. He's from the Koopa Kingdom, s-so he should be here tonight." 

Mario's eyes widened. 

"What?!" He smiled, clapping his brother on the back. "That's wonderful! Hopefully uh, we can let bygones be bygones? I know I'm not the most loved over there.."

"I'm really hoping so.." 

They had started to head inside the ballroom. The sight seemed almost like a fantasy; sure, there was a bunch of toads, but among them were all people of Bowser's troops. Everyone was civil too! Some were sharing tables, chatting over little finger foods, and even dancing together amidst the cheerful band that echoed in the ballroom. The brothers found their way to their table, Daisy waving them over and laughing as she saw them stumble past a pair that was dancing. 

"There's our bros!" Daisy smiled, for once dressed in one of her usual bright orange gowns. "Peach is  _ hopefully _ gonna join us soon, she's a little caught up." Daisy motioned towards the dance floor, Luigi trying to hold back a giggle when she saw Peach, as gracefully as she could manage, dancing with a piranha plant. It was so odd to see so many different folks but it felt so.. nice… He looked around the dance floor, breath catching in his throat when he spotted a certain someone. 

Across the space stood Bowser, in a full on suit, rolling his eyes as Junior stood on a chair next to him, tiny hands fixing his bowtie. Bowser had just so happened to catch his gaze, shooting a sheepish grin. Luigi smiled, settling back into his seat. He took the drink Daisy had gotten him. 

Mario sighed, looking out towards the crowd. They'd fought Bowser's troops so many times, to think they were now on the same side.. It felt weird, really weird, and he hoped it wasn't a problem for anybody. Eventually the music kicked up and Daisy had convinced the two of them to join her out on the floor. 

"I am  _ not  _ gonna sit on the side all night." Daisy smirked, finishing off her drink and plopping her hands on her hips. "Both of you, come on." She grinned, starting to head out onto the floor. Luigi shrugged at his brother, laughing slightly as he followed her out onto the floor. Thankfully Peach had joined them by now, the four of them bopping along to the upbeat music of the band, blissfully able to relax and have fun. 

Luigi jumped a little when he felt someone tap his shoulder, smiling when he saw Bowser standing behind him. He was sharply aware he had about eight eyes on him now, but he kept his strength up. 

"O-Oh! Uh.." Mario was the first to speak up. "Good evening!"

"Howdy," For a moment Bowser's voice held annoyance but he quickly changed his tune. "Mind if I cut in?" 

"That's up to Peach, at least you're ask-" 

"Keep your overalls on, I don't mean the Princess." Bowser laughed slightly, looking to Luigi with a smirk. "Greenie? You mind?" 

Luigi's heart jumped into his throat. 

Oh… oh right, they were actually doing this.

All eyes were absolutely now on them. 

No turning back now.

"Me? I-I'm not the best dancer, more likely to step on your toes…" 

"You think I helped us figure out how to dance all week only to get turned down, darlin'? Come on, I got thick skin, barely feel it if you stumble." He laughed, offering his hand. Luigi looked down at it for a second before he took it, giving a glance back to the others. 

"Meet up after?" 

Mario opened his mouth at first but Peach spoke up, putting her hand on Mario's shoulder. 

"We'll meet up later. Please, enjoy yourself." 

Luigi's chest swelled, smiling and mouthing out a thank you before he felt himself be taken further into the crowd. When they were out of earshot Luigi started to laugh, being guided around in a dance with the king. 

"See? Ain't steppin' on toes at all." 

He spun the plumber, so happy to see Luigi smiling. 

"I can't believe you did that!" 

Their voices were more or less hidden under the band's music. 

"Hey, I wasn't missing my chance." Bowser huffed, letting Luigi come close to him. "Does he.."

"Only knows I'm seeing someone from your kingdom… I.. uh.. just didn't specify who." 

It took all of Bowser not to start laughing. He didn't expect a full confession, but this scenario Luigi put himself in was almost funny. 

"Whatever happens," Bowser began, smirking as he dipped the other. "You got me in your corner…" He stood him back up, blushing as the music shifted, going from some upbeat tune to a slower and calmer song. They watched as some dancers left to their tables, others partnering up. "You uh.. wanna go sit..?" 

Luigi took a deep breath, taking Bowser's hand. With his status and Bowser's, he knew they'd be the center of attention. 

"No.. I... I still want to dance." He looked at Bowser, who was surprised to see such a courage in those bright blue eyes. 

  
  
  


"Was that kind of weird?" Mario finally spoke up when they had gotten out of earshot of the two, the three of them in their own little spot on the dance floor.

  
  


"I mean, I'm rather tired from dancing with subjects, so I didn't mind." Peach chuckled, looking out to the crowd. White gloved hands holding at her dress so she didn't fall.

"No no, I mean.. Bowser.. he's a grown man he could dance with anyone, and he goes to Luigi? He's got to be messing with him…" He frowned. He was sure if he couldn't cause fights with him, he'd go after his brother next. Mario had always thought Luigi was terrified of Bowser but now? He wasn't so sure. He glanced over at the two. Bowser had spun Luigi as gracefully as a giant monster could, and Luigi looked so… happy… He could tell they were talking but he couldn't hear a word.

Peach laughed softly. 

"You worry too much, I think Luigi can really handle himself out there.." She said so calmly. "If I'm honest.. If it wasn't for him I don't think we'd be here like this.." 

Everyone was aware of the change in music, the three of them heading back to their table. Mario was confused when he realised Luigi hadn't come back to join them yet.

"Bowser told me he'd been spending a lot of time with him… I wouldn't be shocked if…" she laughed softly. By then everyone had looked back at the dancefloor, Peach sighing softly, a smile on pink lips. "I'm no longer on his mind like that at all." 

Wait.

  
  


_ "Im seeing someone. T-the Koopa from Cascade. He's here tonight."  _

_ "You think I helped us figure out how to dance all week only to get turned down, darlin'...?" _

_ "I'm no longer on his mind like that at all.." _

  
  
  


Luigi knew they had a ton of eyes on them. Mario's own brother and  _ Bowser _ …? He didn't look out to the crowd, all of his focus on the koopa in front of him. 

"I can handle some fumbling, Luigi, its-" For once Bowser's hushed voice caught in his throat when Luigi actually took initiative. He had come closer, taking one of his hands and placing it on Bowser's side, the other clasped in his. "....alright.." 

Together they followed the music, just swaying and following the flow of the dancefloor. Luigi placed his head on Bowser's shoulder, feeling those strong arms wrap around him as they swayed. 

"I'm… kinda scared.." he muttered. "Pretty sure I saw my bro watching.." 

Bowser sighed. 

"You? Scared? Nah… No matter what happens…" he murmured. "Love ya. You know I've been wanting to shout about it for weeks." He smiled, feeling Luigi laughing in his arms. 

"At least wait until after today." 

They spent the entire song like that, closely in each others arms, so in their own little bubble despite everything around them could easily become a whirlwind after tonight. Slowly, the song was coming to an end when Luigi picked his head up from Bowser's shoulder. 

"Come back with me. We can tell him together.." 

"You're really sure..?"

"Everyone's already seen us, I.. I'm ready." He gave Bowser his best smile, earning a nod. 

Only, when they returned to the table where Daisy and Peach were sat at, Mario was nowhere to be seen. 

"Princesses.." Bowser nodded, feeling a lump in his throat. "Where.. uh.. wheres…"

"I thought Mario was with you guys?" Luigi spoke up. 

Peach gave a weary smile, but then she merely sighed. 

"He… knows. I can't figure out how he's taking it." She frowned. "He's out in the courtyard. It's the only other place guests were allowed." 

Luigi felt his stomach twist into knots, murmuring out something about going to talk to him before heading out of the main room with Bowser in tow. 

"You still want to tell him with me?" Luigi asked in the hallway, more surprised than anything. Bowser huffed out a laugh, nodding. They reached the open doors to the courtyard, Bowser lowering his voice to a whisper.

"Told you I'm in your corner, darlin'. Go talk to him first. I'll make sure nobody comes in."

  
  


When they reached the almost empty courtyard, it was relatively quiet. Crickets chirped amongst the trickle of the fountain in its center. The band had picked back up and created a soft muffled sound from the windows of the castle. At its core sat a fountain, a large star that sat in the water. Sitting on a bench facing the fountain, blue eyes following the spurt of the water, was Mario. 

"Mario..?" Luigi's voice finally piped up, and when he didn't get an answer he tried again. "Bro-"

"I heard you.." Mario looked over at him, and Luigi's stomach dropped when he saw his expression. He looked… hurt. "You know.. I was hoping when you said you were dating someone from the Koopa kingdom that it was some civilian. Not…  _ him. _ " 

"I-it's a long story, Bro, i can explain.." 

"Explain what? How long have you been going behind my back like this? Long enough that Peach knows? Luigi, this isn't real." 

"It is, and I know this is hard to hear, but I-." 

"I don't trust him! I'm not going to sit here and let him shift gears from kidnapping Peach to kidnapping you!" 

"He’s not going to..!” Luigi sputtered, sighing. “Mario, he's different, he's trying-" 

"He is  _ not _ different! This is  _ Bowser _ we're talking about! Some giant no good turtle who's kidnapped our friends for years! This is just some ploy to get close to Peach and I refuse to just sit here and let you get taken advantage of by some monster who-" 

_ "Che cazzo-  _ Will you let me finish a single sentence?!" Luigi's yell echoed across the empty courtyard. "I'm  _ trying _ to tell you my side and I haven't gotten one proper word in!" 

The silence in the courtyard was palpable, Mario stunned. He wasn't even sure if he'd ever heard Luigi yell like that before. He was red in the face and glassy eyed, trying so desperately to keep a composure and calm that was already lost.

"I know you're going to hate hearing this but I am in  _ love _ , Mario!” Luigi let out a breathy laugh, “He's not the same guy you fought months ago! Bowser is kind an-and he cares about me and doesn't care about any stupid celebrity status either of us have! He loves me for  _ me!  _ I am the happiest I've ever been in a long time, and I refuse to let that go because of.. of fear!" Luigi took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not afraid anymore, not over this, a-and whether you like it or not I'm done hiding the fact I'm with him!" 

Luigi's teeth were grit, fists clenched, seeing Mario staring at him with wide eyes. 

“I… I’m done, I can’t keep hiding this.” Luigi was shaking, waiting desperately for his own family to say something,  _ anything.  _ The silence became too much to bear, too painful to just keep eye contact with his brother that he merely turned, heading back to the doors of the castle. He bumped into Bowser, who definitely heard the entire thing. By then Luigi had broke, eyes full of tears but he refused to let even a hiccup out. 

“Luigi…”

“I’m fine.. I..” he wiped his eye, sighing. “I’m gonna have to spend a bit by you, i-if I can..” Luigi looked up at him, shoulders losing their tension when Bowser placed his hands there. So warm and encompassing, thumbs gently running circles there. He felt a gentle kiss to his forehead. 

“Yea… a’course…” Bowser murmured, he gave him his best smile. “Go on back to the princesses, okay? I’ll meet up with you in a bit.” 

Luigi knew the look in his eyes and put a hand to Bowser’s. 

“Please don’t start a fight..”   
  
“I won’t, y’got my word on that. I just want to give my side, if uh.. that’s alright with you..” Bowser watched as Luigi let out a sigh but then nodded, kissing his cheek before heading further inside the castle. When Bowser looked back into the courtyard, Mario was just staring back at him, but had quickly looked away the moment they made eye contact. Second awkward conversation in this situation, here we go…

Bowser sighed, heading out and quietly sitting next to him. A heavy silence filled the air once more. Bowser had been trying to think of a way to even start without growling when-

“You’ve got a lot of nerve messing with him like this.” Mario spoke, and it took all of Bowser not to shoot fire right at him.

“Me? I’m the one with some nerve. Sure.” All of his willpower went to holding back a growl. “Not the one who just yelled at his brother who laid himself out and then didn’t even say anything after.” He was looking at Mario but the plumber wasn't looking back. "You gonna even look at me or what, 'Stache. I ain't dropping this." 

Mario tensed, finally looking over. He was used to getting aggression from Bowser but not… never this reason. It felt… wrong. 

"What changed, huh? You spent  _ years _ chasing after Peach, and… while I'm ecstatic that's stopped.." 

"Why Luigi." 

Mario knew he sounded ridiculous, swallowing thickly as he nodded. Bowser merely growled out a sigh. 

"Don't tell me you didn't know about what happened either. Getting left on the moon by the woman I was in love with made me rethink  _ everything.  _ I was planning to get over love, stop trying all together. Then…" Bowser looked out at the fountain, unable to hide the smile from his lips. "Then he showed up… and he cared. Treated me like I wasn't some monster to beat. He didn't tell you because he was afraid you'd…." Bowser had growled but quickly stamped that down and sighed. "Look, I know you just got an earful from him, and shit, he had every right to, but I love him. I'm doing all in my power to make sure he's happy and.. and that he knows he's cared for. I'm putting my heart into this whether you like it or not…" 

With that, Bowser stood, brushing himself off for a moment before looking back at Mario. The plumber looked up at him with an almost ashamed expression, and while it felt great to see his long time enemy upset, he hated the circumstances to get it. 

"Now if you'll excuse me. I'm going to make sure the rest of this night ain't ruined, stache." At that, Bowser sighed, turning and heading back into the castle, leaving Mario in the silence of the courtyard.


End file.
